Juventus go into the international break showing signs of progress in Derby win

11/10/2024 05:00 AM

The Mole is still black and white, thanks to another strong performance that is starting to look ever so close to a team that's beginning to gel.

Who? What? Where? When? Why?

Like most things, a sports team's season is usually defined by the Five W's. The answers to that classic quintet that everyone learns in grade school writing class will generally give you the shape of how a team's campaign went in almost any sport.

Who? What? Where? When? Why?

Depending on the situation, some may carry more importance than others. Often the sport itself will dictate which of them are more important. Basketball, for instance, as the team sport where it is more likely than any other that a single player can alter the outcome of an entire season, often revolves around Who. I believe there's a good argument that baseball is dominated by Where—where was the last pitch, where was the ball hit, where was the fielder positioned? Discourse on American football is often consumed with Why—Why would the quarterback make that pass? Why on earth did the coach not decide to go for two? Why didn't they dial up a blitz there?

Who? What? Where? When? Why?

From the beginning of Juventus' 2024-25 season, the one that has colored conversation the most is When. Specifically: When will the team integrate themselves into Thiago Motta's system to the point where we could see it in full bloom, and when will the plethora of new players find the chemistry that will allow it to take place? And more recently: When will Motta and the players figure out a new balance in defense after Gleison Bremer's season-ending injury?

The Bianconeri perhaps took a step toward answering those questions on Saturday night. Playing the year's first Derby della Mole, the Bianconeri dominated proceedings for the first 45 minutes, playing some of its most fluid football, dominating the game in most phases and taking a lead into the halftime break. Even as the second half proved a bit more even, they still stifled their cross-town cousins. The defense, still under a microscope after the almighty wobble they suffered two weeks ago in the aftermath of losing Bremer, kept them from so much as a shot on target until there was only a minute left in regular time. The attack kept the Granata under pressure and were finally rewarded with a second goal late in the match to complete the 2-0 win.

It was about as comprehensive a performance as you'll see this season, and coming off a good performance against Udinese and an away match against Lille in which they were the better team for much of the match it's also starting to produce something of a pattern. Three straight games where the team has looked much more comfortable with each other and with Motta's plans. Three straight games where — individual mistakes against Lille aside—the defense is looking like they're beginning to coalesce around its new core.

As we head into the final international break of 2024, it's not hard to wonder whether When is about to be NOW.

Motta was still dealing without a full deck, missing Arkadiusz Milik, Vasilije Adzic, Nico Gonzalez, and Douglas Luiz. There were three changes from the starting XI against Lille in midweek, though the team remained in their usual 4-2-3-1. Mattia Perin gave Michele Di Gregiorio a well-deserved break in goal, operating behind the back four of Nicoló Savona, Pierre Kalulu, Federico Gatti, and Andrea Cambiaso. Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram formed the double pivot in midfield, while Timothy Weah, Teun Koopmeiners, and Kenan Yildiz supported Dusan Vlahovic in attack.

Torino's Paolo Vanoli took over for Ivan Juric after the latter's falling out with Urbano Cairo last season led to his departure. He'd started the season well but had dropped five of their last six, which has coincided with the loss of Duvan Zapata for the year with an ACL tear of his own. Also missing for the Granata were Che Adams, Zanos Savva, Perr Schuurs, and Emirhan Ilkhan. Vanoli employed a 3-5-1-1 formation. Vanja Milinkovic-Savic started between the sticks. Saúl Coco, Adam Masina, and Sebastian Walukiewicz were the defensive three. Marcus Pedersen and Valentino Lazaro played wing-back, flanking the midfield of Samuele Ricci, Karol Linetty, and Ivan Ilic, while Nicola Vlasic floated behind Antonio Sanabria up front.

An early sign of things to come came barely two minutes into the game when Thuram bombed forward from just behind the midfield stripe all the way into the left channel. He crossed the ball expecting Koopmeiners to be ready to latch onto it, but the Dutchman had instead stopped his run looking for a pullback. The ball flashed harmlessly through the box, but a statement of intent had been made.

The two sides sparred for much of the early parts of the half, with Juve generally getting to loose balls and second efforts in an attempt to put their visitors under the most pressure possible. But it was that initial foray that turned into the blueprint for their opener.

It was the 18th minute when Cambiaso picked up a pass a step into his own half and started to run. He induced a slip from Pederson, then with a burst of acceleration surged past Ricci and into open space. He drove all the way into the box and fired a low shot to the near post that bounced off Milinkovic-Savic's foot and trickled into the far side of the 6-yard box — where Weah. having ghosted in behind Lazaro, side-footed it into the empty net for what may have been the easiest finish of his professional career.

Cambiaso smelled blood in the water, and just three minutes later was slipped through the middle of the field on a similar run, although this time the adrenaline kicked in and he ballooned the shot over the bar when there were passing options to consider as well. Another came in the 34th minute, when he flew down the left side and crossed for Koopmeiners, whose shot was blocked.

Juve went into the half up a goal and in complete control. That changed a bit as the teams came out of the locker rooms for the second half, with Torino able to come up with far more possession than they had in the first half — but they couldn't use it to any significant effect. They were repelled by the defense time and again without ever getting to put a shot toward Perin's goal. The only shot they registered the entire half was a tame effort in the 89th minute, Perin easily picking it up.

Juve weren't shrinking back during this time either. In the 72nd minute Weah took a pass from Koopmeiners, made a wonderful little move to get around Lazaro, and slotted the ball home, but referee Simone Sozza immediately intervened, as Weah had clearly controlled the pass with the aid of his arm.

Francisco Conceição got in on things from the bench as well, curling a shot just beyond the far post before playing provider two minutes later. Latching on to a perfect long ball from Locatelli, he got himself half a yard to cross and found a completelyunmarked Yildiz, who sent a diving header back across the grain to seal he game with six minutes to go in the match.

The remaining moments of the game went without incident, and Juventus headed into the international break riding the high of a comprehensive win — one that just might be a peek at how good this team can look as the season goes forward.

LE PAGELLE

MATTIA PERIN - 6. Had hardly anything to do, but controlled his box and marshaled the defense perfectly. Also, he looked incredibly snazzy in that blue keeper kit. I kinda want one of those.

NICOLO SAVONA - 5.5. Had a key pass and completed a little over 90 percent of his passes, but the ones he did miss were pretty egregious — far to simple to be missing like that. He's young, he'll learn.

PIERRE KALULU - 6.5. Followed up a subpar outing in Lille with an excellent performance here, leading the back four with three tackles and also blocking three shots. A needed improvement after a howler-filled midweek game.

FEDERICO GATTI - 6.5. A game-high six clearances and a key pass to his name. His return to the starting lineup has really made the defense more solid in Bremer's absence.

ANDREA CAMBIASO - 7.5. Made multiple surging runs deep into Torino's half of the field, one of which resulted in the first goal after his shot was saved. He also tallied two key passes, two tackles, and three interceptions on the night. An all-around performance that solidifies his status as one of Juve's most important players.

MANUEL LOCATELLI - 6.5. Not a flashy presence in midfield, but he made a lot of good passes that set up good things further up the field, like his long ball to Conceição for the hockey assist on the second goal. Defended well too, with a tackle, two interceptions, and three clearances. He's making this team tick from the double pivot.

KHEPHREN THURAM - 6. His passing was a little bit scattershot overall, but he also provided a pair of key passes and made a few nice runs with the ball and made solid contributions in defense. He's starting to match that opening day performance against Como that had us all salivating.

TIMOTHY WEAH - 6.5. The finish on his goal was so incredibly simple, but the run he made to get in position for it was just as notable. He clocked Lazaro ball-watching and cut toward the goal a little early, leaving him completely undefended for the rebound. He already has more goals than he's ever had in a domestic league season. Funny how playing guys in the right position works wonders for them.

TEUN KOOPMEINERS - 6. You can just tell how desperately he wants to have that breakout game, and how close he's been coming to getting it lately. Unfortunately none of his shots today found the target, but he did contribute a key pass and would've had a gorgeous assist had the ball not bounced up and hit Weah in the hand. He's definitely settling in, even if he hasn't managed to put himself front and center yet.

KENAN YILDIZ - 7.5. Led the team in both dribbles (2) and tackles (5). The fact that this is probably the third or fourth time that latter one is the case really shows his determination to help the team in all ways possible. Oh, and the finish on the goal was excellent. He could do to pick up his head a little more, thought, as opposed to always trying to dribble his man.

DUSAN VLAHOVIC - 5.5. One of the few players who didn't have a great day, he wasn't afforded a ton of touches by his teammates and never got into the rhythm of the game. An early whiff on a pullback kinda set the tone for the game.

SUBS

FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO - 6.5. Only touched the ball 10 times in 18 minutes, but one of those touches came very close to being an outstanding curled shot into the top corner, and another was the assist for Yildiz's goal. This dude is producing wing play we haven't seen since Federico Chiesa's first year under Pirlo.

WESTON McKENNIE - NR. Sent on late to see things out as an extra midfielder.

DANILO - NR. Gave Savona a rest at the end.

MANAGER ANALYSIS

Motta is starting to find his groove in terms of putting his lineups together. It's entirely possible that the setup we saw against Torino ends up being our A lineup for much of the season.

There are a few questions still to be answered, though.

How Yildiz, Weah, Conceição, and, when he returns, Gonzalez, will be rotated on the wings going forward is one of them. The fullbacks also seem a little more fungible than the rest of the squad, with Savona, Cambiaso, and Juan Cabal all proving capable in different combinations. But the Locatelli/Thuram pairing in midfield — at least when Thuram is finding his form like this — is looking like the best one going forward, and the difference between having Koopmeiners on the field and not having Koopmeiners on the field has proven to be significant. The center back partnership of Gatti and Kalulu is essentially a must going forward until reinforcements can be brought in during the January window.

As the team has settled into their roles, we've been seeing more and more confident play, and less and less instances where someone makes a pass and looks dumbfounded when the person he was hoping to get the ball too simply wasn't there. Chemistry is being developed everywhere, and you get the sense that a lot of guys, especially ones like Weah and Cambiaso, are thinking less and playing more. Things look like they're on an upward trend with the way this team is playing, and the hope now is that the international break doesn't poke a hole in that and that they can carry this through the Christmas break.

LOOKING AHEAD

Two big matches loom after the international break ends. First is a second trip to San Siro in less than a month to face a bipolar AC Milan team that doesn't decide until kickoff whether they'll be fantastic or suck, then one of the biggest games left on the Champions League calendar, an away trip to Aston Villa.